The Line and Woza Albert! visit The Steve Biko Centre

The Steve Biko Foundation, in collaboration with the Market Theatre, brings the celebrated productions Woza Albert! and The Line to the Steve Biko Centre in Ginsberg, King William’s Town from 11 to 13 July 2013. These shows form part of the Market Theatre’s country-wide tour of regional venues.

The Line, Gina Shmukler’s verbatim play that explores the theme of xenophobia, and Woza Albert!, the South African classic (directed by Prince Lamla, 2013 Standard Bank Young Artist Award-Winner) will be taken by Market Theatre to communities that have historically been denied thought-provoking, socially-engaged professional theatre productions. One of the objectives of the tour—which is supported by the Department of Arts and Culture’s Mzansi’s Golden Economy fund—is to make a diversity of cultural and artistic offerings available in all South African provinces, particularly those that have been neglected in the past.

“I am delighted that the Department has made it possible for the Market Theatre to tour these two amazing productions. This is reminiscent of an era in which productions were staged in church halls, school halls and community centres and it allows communities to engage with theatre in their spaces,” said Annabell Lebethe, CEO of the Market Theatre Foundation.

The Steve Biko Centre—the host institution—is a national legacy project designed to channel interest in the life and work of Bantu Stephen Biko into a catalyst for social and economic development. Accordingly, the Centre boasts an active performing arts and culture programme which provides training to previously disadvantaged youth, stages original productions and facilitates a number of initiatives to make the arts available in grassroots communities. As noted by Steve Biko Foundation’s Artistic Director, Mandla Mbothwe, winner of a 2013 Fleur du Cap, “The Steve Biko Foundation is extremely pleased to host these critically acclaimed productions at the Centre and to expose a new generation of young South Africans to these landmark works.”

Recently, The Line received Naledi nominations for Best Production of a Play, Best New South African Script, Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role, Best Theatre Sound Design/Sound Effects and Best Theatre Set Design.

Woza Albert! – The classic play originally directed by the legendary Barney Simon – exemplify a physical style of storytelling that was to inspire and influence theatre companies in South Africa and abroad.